Description: Level Up Review 1 is part of the Level Up! Series that serves as a workbook in private go schools in Korea. Though designed for children, the content and practice provided is invaluable for adults and children alike.

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Overview

While it’s been fun reading so many books at once, I am starting to feel the weight of my training bear down on me. My usual nightly routine now essentially is comprised of me trying to study until I literally pass out. Then I wake up randomly in a couple of hours, and make my way to bed. Needless to say, it’s not the most productive route and it definitely starting to take a toll on me. I need a more efficient system then what I’ve been doing. Haha. So starting next week, I plan on cutting down the number of books and trying to get everything into a better balance.

Games

• KGS - 1 game
• DGS - 3 ongoing games
• Nova - 4 ongoing games

Education & Training

• Finished Level Up Review 1.
• Finished Elementary Go Series, Vol. 6 - The Endgame.
• Finished Whole Board Thinking of Joseki, Vol. 1.
• Finished Essential Life & Death 3.
• Started and finished Level Up 6._
  _
• Started and finished Elementary Go Series, Vol. 7 - Handicap Go.
• Started and finished Whole Board Thinking of Joseki, Vol. 2.
• Started working on Level Up 7.
• Started working on Essential Life & Death 4.
• Worked on Mastering the Basics, Vol. 8 - Fight Like a Pro.

Lesson Learned

1. Unless I actually take the time to count and estimate the board position, I am no longer allowed to resign.

Description: Essential Life & Death 3 is part of the Essential Life & Death Series that is used as workbooks in private go schools in Korea. Though it might be seen as an addendum to the Level Up Series, it certainly can be used as a standalone product for anyone looking to study life and death.

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In lieu of my last post on the desire to lose, I thought it would only be appropriate that I title this blog post after a marvelous game I played on Monday. It’s already slated for a Monday Go Meditation, so more on that game in a couple of weeks!

With that being said, I’m sure that some of you have noticed that the email subscription widget on the right has changed a bit. And in case you didn’t, here’s the basic rundown!

1. E-mail newsletters now have a new look and feel that should make the reading process more enjoyable!
2. You can now choose the frequency at which you want to receive your email newsletter!
   The only drawback to the plugin I’m using is that it isn’t very easy to switch to a different list, so if anyone would like to switch the frequency of their newsletter, feel free to contact me or go ahead and unsubscribe to the current list you’re on and resubscribe to the new one you want to be on. Either one works.

Finally, as you all have definitely noticed, I am on a book review rampage. I’ve gotten in a really great study groove, but I’m starting to feel the need to take it down a couple of notches since I have a few books I would like to spend more time on. Anyhow, more on that later on. Need to get some studying in before I pass out. XD

PS. To all my first email subscribers (who were all immediately being updated whenever I posted something), in order to prevent everyone from feeling like I am spamming your inbox, I switched everyone over to the Daily Newsletter in order to keep my emails to one per day. If you would like to be switched back to the Immediate Newsletter, just let me know!

Description: Level Up 5 is part of the Level Up! Series that serves as a workbook in private go schools in Korea. Though designed for children, the content and practice provided is invaluable for adults and children alike.

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Description: Zeijst and Bozulich provide a foundation for the basic principles of moyos (frameworks of potential territories) with numerous examples from professional games. There are detailed analyses by top professionals along with whole-board problems for the reader to practice what was taught in the earlier chapters. It is an essential book for every player regardless of style due to the inevitable need to know how to either build or counter moyos.

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Description: Level Up 4 is part of the Level Up! Series that serves as a workbook in private go schools in Korea. Though designed for children, the content and practice provided is invaluable for adults and children alike.

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Description: Prepare to be taken on a journey from when the first Honinbo tournament was established in 1941 through the incredible rivalries that arose and flourised along with new tournaments over the next decade. You will not only have the opportunity to learn about a critical time in the history of go, but you will also get to peer into the minds and thoughts of famous players (like Sakata Eio and Fujisawa Hosai) many of us have come to recognize as legends.

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So I think I have to revise my one post a day rule to exclude book reviews because at the rate I’m releasing book reviews, I’m never going to get a chance to write for the sake of writing. Haha. With that said, let’s unload some things off my brain.

I recently re-watched the episode in Hikaru No Go (Episode 66 - “Fateful Encounter”) where they do the prelude to the whole series. For those who might not remember, the episode features a child who recently is crowned Child Meijin and wants to challenge Akira to prove he is the strongest. Right before the game, he pridefully challenges Akira with the following statement:

Child Meijin: When I win, tell everyone, “I lost to Hideki Isobe.”

Though most might shy away from the idea of boasting to everyone that they lost, Akira’s reaction reminded me of something I had forgotten long ago.

Akira (with the utmost excited face): I will! I sure will!

How long ago has it been since I last sought out a match where I would be proud to say, “Look! I lost, but it was a great game!” When was the last time I felt a desire to lose?

Nowadays, I just slink away like a dog with his tail between his legs hoping secretly hoping to quickly nab a win afterwards to cover up my shame. What a pitiful state I’ve fallen into… Haha. No matter though, today is a new day! I will return back to the battlefield of Tygem and restart my training against dan players! Ikuzo!